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No reflow manifests coronary microvascular injury caused by continuous severe myocardial ischemia and reperfusion. Microvascular obstruction (MVO) has emerged as one fundamental mechanism of no reflow. However, the underlying pathophysiology remains incompletely defined. Herein, we explore the contribution of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), derived mainly from platelet microparticles exacerbating MVO in no reflow. 44 STEMI patients undergoing successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were included in our study. Plasma HMGB1 levels in both the peripheral artery (PA) and infarct-related coronary artery (IRA) were measured by ELISA. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy assessed the level of HMGB1+ platelet derived microparticles (PMPs) and platelet activation. Flow cytometry and western blot evaluated the procoagulant activity (PCA) and the release of inflammatory factors of human microvascular endothelial cells (HCEMCs). HMGB1 levels were significantly higher in the IRA in no-reflow patients. The levels of HMGB1+ PMPs were considerably higher in the IRA of patients with no reflow and were strongly associated with platelet activation. Moreover, our results show that HMGB1 interacts with human microvascular endothelial cells primarily through TLR4, inducing HCMEC proinflammatory, procoagulant phenotype, and monocyte recruitment, accelerating microvascular obstruction and facilitating the development of no reflow. Our results illustrate a novel mechanism by which HMGB1, derived mainly from PMPs, plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of no-reflow, revealing a novel therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are known to play a role in various diseases affecting coagulation. As of now, it is unclear whether NETs are present in hematoma samples collected from patients who have suffered an intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). The objective of this was to determine whether NETs are present in circulation and hematoma samples from ICH patients and to evaluate the procoagulant activity (PCA) of NETs during the ICH process. The expression of NET markers in samples from 78 ICH patients and 35 healthy donners was detected by ELISA and flow cytometry. Immunostaining for neutrophil markers (neutrophil CD66b) and NET markers (citrullinated histone H3 [H3Cit] and extracellular DNA) was performed on hematoma samples obtained from ICH patients undergoing intracranial hematoma evacuation. Our findings suggest that plasma and hematoma samples from patients with ICH showed high levels of NETs. Furthermore, using DNase I to target NETs enhanced ex vivo hematoma lysis. In conclusion, NETs play an important role in the ICH process and may be a novel therapeutic target for treatment of ICH patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Styrene is an important monomer for synthetic resins, ion exchange resins and synthetic rubber. Styrene polymerization requires the use of initiators to increase the reaction rate, with composite initiators showing promise for increased reaction rates. However, increased reaction rates in polymerization, if uncontrolled, can lead to thermal runaway with disastrous consequences. Numerous runaway incidents have been documented, indicating inadequate awareness of the thermal hazards of polymerization reactions. This study focuses on determining via calorimetric techniques the thermal hazards of styrene polymerization using azodiisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and tert-Butyl peroxybenzoate (TBPB) composite initiators. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is employed to investigate the thermal decomposition properties of composite initiators with varying composition. Non-isothermal experiments and adiabatic experiments are used to determine the thermal hazard parameters including initial exothermic temperature and heat release of styrene polymerization. The risk of secondary reactions is evaluated by reaction calorimetry (RC1e) and product thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Key safety parameters of the exothermic reaction, such as the onset temperature, heat release, time to maximum rate under adiabatic condition as well as activation energy, are presented. The results show that the thermal hazard of the polymerization reaction is lowest when the ratio of AIBN to TPPB in the composite initiator is 1:1. In this scenario, the temperature reached by the uncontrolled reaction does not provoke the decomposition of the products, yet the runaway consequences are still unacceptable. This work provides extensive data as a reference for the process optimization of styrene polymerization from the perspective of safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • UV sensing sensitivity reaches μW/cm2 level using color spaces. • Naked-eye-based dosimetry is enabled by wearable UV sensor. • UV radiation warning is achieved based on smart UV sensing textile. • High fatigue resistance, low-cost fabrication and nice portability. A dual-channel photochromic Schiff base HBA is reported herein, which undergoes a reversible tautomerism in response to UV exposure, showing visible changes in both color and fluorescence. The spectral behavior, fatigue resistance, sensitivity are studied. The quantification of photochromic fluorescence/color change is solved by applying color spaces and chromatic aberration. HBA is further fabricated into low-cost wearable sensor and smart textile, enabling visual feedback under UV radiation. It demonstrates a low-costing platform for naked-eye-based dosimetry of outdoor UV radiations, providing an early warning for excessive UV exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel hollow-magnetite (HFO)/MXene nanohybrids with coral-like structure were successfully prepared via templating and electrostatic self-assembly techniques for electromagnetic (EM) wave adsorption application. The unique coral-like structure of the prepared HFO/MXene hybrids was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). When mass ratio of HFO to MXene is 2:1, the maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB max) of HFO/MXene hybrids is able to reach 5.36 GHz. Moreover, when mass ratio of HFO to MXene is 1:1, the minimum reflection loss (RL min) even achieves −42.48 dB with a thickness of 3.1 mm. The excellent EM absorption performance of HFO/MXene hybrids is mainly due to the ideal impedance matching and synergistic effect of magnetic loss and dielectric loss caused by unique coral-like structure. This work provides unexplored areas in the design of the spatial structure of MXene for microwave absorption. [Display omitted] • HFO/MXene hybrids with unique coral-like structure was prepared by templating and electrostatic self-assembly method. • Hollow Fe 3 O 4 are distributed in MXene, which provides magnetic losses and improves the impedance matching. • RL min achieves −42.48 dB with a thickness of 3.1 mm, and maximum EAB max is able to reach 5.36 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many ways, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been demonstrated to be crucial in the onset and advancement of cancer throughout the last ten years and have become a new focus of intense research in the field of RNAs. Accumulating studies have demonstrated that circRNAs can regulate parental gene expression via a variety of biological pathways. Furthermore, research into the complex interactions between circRNAs and their parental genes will shed light on their biological roles and open up new avenues for circRNAs' potential clinical translational uses. However, to date, multi-dimensional cross-talk between circRNAs and parental genes have not been systematically elucidated. Particularly intriguing is circRNA's exploration of tumor targeting, and potential therapeutic uses based on the parental gene regulation perspective. Here, we discuss their biogenesis, take a fresh look at the molecular mechanisms through which circRNAs control the expression of their parental genes in cancer. We further highlight We further highlight the latest circRNA clinical translational applications, including prognostic diagnostic markers, cancer vaccines, gDNA, and so on. Demonstrating the potential benefits and future applications of circRNA therapy. • Highlights the biogenesis of circRNAs, with particular emphasis on the cross-talk between circRNAs and parental genes in cancer, and their molecular mechanisms. • Analyzed the advantages and prospects of circRNAs as clinical translational applications in the future from a new perspective,such as in vitro synthesis of circRNAs, packaging of formulations, vaccine development, and guided applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction of carbon quantum dots-based (CQDs) fluorescent probes for real-time monitoring pH in cells is still unsatisfied. Here, we propose the synthesis of nitrogen, sulfur-doped CQDs (N,S-CQDs) using one-pot hydrothermal treatment, and serve it as fluorescent probes to realize the real-time sensing of intracellular pH. These pH-responsive N,S-CQDs were proved exhibited a diversity of admirable properties, including great photostability, nontoxicity, favorable biocompatibility, and high selectivity. Particularly, due to the doping of nitrogen and sulfur, N,S-CQDs possessed long-wavelength emission and large Stokes Shift (190 nm), which could avoid self-absorption of tissue to realize high contrast and resolution bioimaging. The response of the probes to pH showed a good linear in range of 0.93–7.00 with coefficient of determination of 0.9956. Moreover, with advantages of high signal-to-noise ratio and stability against photobleaching, the as-prepared N,S-CQDs were successfully applied to monitor pH in living cells via bioimaging. All findings suggest that N,S-CQDs have significant potential for practical application for sensing and visualizing pH fluctuation in living systems. [Display omitted] • N,S-CQDs as fluorescent probes were synthesized via one-pot hydrothermal method. • The probes can realize reversible real-time detection of pH in human serum and cells. • Large Stocks shift (190 nm) of N,S-CQDs is beneficial to avoid self-absorption. • High selectivity and wide detection range (a good linear range of pH: 0.93−7.00). • CQDs possess favorable biocompatibility, can be applied for intracellular pH imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in tumorigenesis, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Transcriptomic analysis of 33 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) samples revealed that the most enriched pathway for differentially expressed genes was related to the cell cycle process, where DDX11-AS1 is the most significant lncRNA. Upregulation of DDX11-AS1 expression through demethylation was significantly associated with a poor prognosis. Further mechanistic studies revealed that DDX11-AS1 promoted the growth of HCC by interacting with PARP1 through attenuating its binding to p53, leading to downregulated expression of p53 for inhibiting the transcription of downstream genes such as p21. Knockdown of DDX11-AS1 expression in xenograft mice using anti-DDX11-AS1 oligonucleotide suppressed liver tumor proliferation. These findings indicate that DDX11-AS1 plays a role in the development of liver cancer by affecting the cell cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders. Various clinical studies have shown that the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist ketamine has rapid, robust, and sustained antidepressant effects. However, given the concerns about the adverse effects of ketamine on patients, it would be important to identify a set of biomarkers that could be used to predict clinical outcomes for its treatment. A total of 83 MDD patients received treatment with six ketamine infusions for up to 2 weeks and were classified into "responders" or "non-responders" based on an average change in the HAMD score >50% from baseline. A nested cross-validation approach was applied to prevent information leakage and overestimation of model performance. The initial dataset was divided randomly into training and test sets in a nested six-fold cross-validation. We first performed genome-wide logistic regression to find potentially significant variants related to treatment response and then selected the top SNPs based on the genetic association results using the random forests algorithm. Subsequently, six machine learning models were employed to construct prediction models by using ten-fold cross-validation. A series of model comparisons showed that the best performing fold was characterized by accuracy of 0.85, precision of 0.75, and a sensitivity of 1.00 with the support vector machine algorithm. Together, these findings demonstrated that the machine learning approach can predict the treatment outcomes of multiple ketamine infusions on the basis of the genotyping information of each participant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the synthesis, crystallographic data and photophysical properties of a donor-acceptor (D-A) compound, methoxybenzylidene methanone Schiff base (HMPPM). It shows remarkable vapofluorochromism, embodied as turn-on red fluorescence in response to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), with fast response and high signal contrast. HMPPM is further developed into a cellulose sensor via dip-dying method for VOCs detection. We further use RGB and CIELAB color spaces to quantify the vapofluorochromic fluorescence. The limits of detection (LOD) of the sensor reach ppm level. Furthermore, it was fabricated into a wearable VOC sensor, with the introduction of an endogenous/exogenous reference, which conduces to high accuracy and visual identification. The cellulose sensor can be tailored into diversified patterns, with controllable shape and size, which facilitated the encapsulation into various wearables, including shoes, hat and smart band, etc. , succeeding in scenario-based VOCs detection. In addition, we built a smartphone-based sensing platform based on HMPPM , which achieves a ppm-level LOD in VOCs monitoring. [Display omitted] • Turn-on vapofluorochromic effect toward VOCs. • Innovative quantitative method using fluorescent reference with image technology. • Portable VOC sensor compatible with smartphone platform and wearable applications. • Facile synthesis, low-cost preparation, fast response and ppm sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a non-protein-producing amino acid synthesized from the excitatory amino acid glutamate via the enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase, is extensively found in microorganisms, plants and vertebrates, and is abundantly expressed in the spinal cord and brain. It is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian nervous system. GABA plays crucial roles in the regulation of synaptic transmission, the promotion of neuronal development and relaxation, and the prevention of insomnia and depression. As the major inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA plays pivotal roles in the regulation of pain sensation, which is initiated by the activation of peripheral nociceptors and transmitted to the spinal cord and brain along nerves. GABA exerts these roles by directly acting on three types of receptors: ionotropic GABA A and GABA C receptors and G protein-coupled GABA B receptor. The chloride-permeable ion channel receptors GABA A and GABA C mediate fast neurotransmission, while the metabotropic GABA B receptor mediates slow effect. Different GABA receptors regulate pain sensation via different signaling pathways. Here we highlight recent updates on the involvement of specific GABA receptors and their subtypes in the process of pain sensation. Further understanding of different GABA receptors and signaling pathways in pain sensation will benefit the development of novel analgesics for pain management by targeting specific GABA receptor subtypes and signaling pathways. [Display omitted] • GABA regulates synaptic transmission contributing to pain sensation. • GABA A receptor regulates membrane potential depending on transmembrane chloride gradient. • GABA A receptor-mediated analgesic effects rely on subunits compositions. • GABA B receptor modulates pain transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminum (Al) and cadmium (Cd) often coexist in the acidic soils of southern China, but their interactive effects remain unclear. In this study, this was examined in Al-resistant (Atlas 66) and Al-sensitive (Scout 66) wheat cultivars. The results showed that Al significantly alleviated the root growth of Al-tolerant Atlas 66 under Cd stress but had no effect on the root growth of Al-sensitive Scout 66 or the shoot growth of both cultivars. However, Al substantially decreased Cd accumulation in the roots and shoots of Atlas 66 and Scout 66. This could be attributed to the decreased uptake of Cd by the roots rather than the changes in Cd distribution in various organs or the Cd binding and adsorption of the cell wall. Using non-invasive micro-test technology, we further confirmed that Al and Cd co-exposure significantly inhibited the net Cd2+ influx into the roots of Atlas 66 and Scout 66 compared to Cd-only stress. Furthermore, the higher Cd2+ influx into roots should be responsible for the high Cd accumulation in the roots and shoots of Atlas66 than in those of Scout66 under Al and Cd co-exposure, which may be due to the higher Al accumulation in the roots of Al-sensitive Scout 66 that resulted in the larger decrease of negative charges on root surfaces. Finally, the effects of Al on the expression of Cd-related genes responsible for Cd uptake and translocation in wheat roots were investigated. The results have suggested that Al significantly downregulated the expression of TaNramp5 in Atlas 66 and the expression of TaNramp5 , TaIRT1 and TaHMA2 in Scout66. • Al led to a significant decrease of Cd accumulation in wheat plants. • Al decreased the Cd uptake by wheat roots. • A lower Cd2+ influx into roots was detected in Al-sensitive Scout 66. • Al significantly down-regulated the expressions of Cd-related genes in wheat roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Shape quality factor describes shapes of UV–vis spectra in aggregations quantitatively. • It decreases when amount of aggregate is small and increase when amount is large. • Its relationship with time is a double Gaussian function with high accuracy. • It can describe similarities of shapes of UV–vis spectra conveniently. • It describes aggregation process of conjugated polymer solution at a wavelength range. We have defined a dimensionless parameter called shape quality factor to describe shapes of UV–vis absorbance spectra during aggregation process of conjugated polymer solutions quantitatively. Time-lapse UV–vis absorbance spectra of poly(3-hexylselenophene) (P3HS) solutions are obtained. Shape quality factors of UV–vis absorbance spectra during the aggregation process of P3HS solutions are calculated. Shape quality factors usually decrease during aggregation process when amount of aggregate is small, and increase when amount of aggregate is large. Relationship between shape quality factor and aggregation time can be fitted by double Gaussian functions. This work provides a simple way to describe shapes of UV–vis absorbance spectra of conjugated polymer solutions quantitatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A task allocation problem for heterogeneous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the presence of environment uncertainty is studied in this paper. Generally, the process of finding efficient allocation scheme can be computationally prohibitive. This work presents a Q-learning based fast task allocation (FTA) algorithm through neural network approximation and prioritized experience replay, which effectively offloads the online computation to an offline learning procedure. Specifically, the proposed approach develops a Q network that encodes the allocation rules. The Q network not only considers the effect of environment uncertainty, but also is capable of handling total different tasks. Comparison simulations are provided to show the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, biomass-derived carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with excellent water solubility, strong fluorescence and favorable biocompatibility were synthesized via one-step hydrothermal treatment of purple perilla for the first time. The functional group composition, morphology, and pH stability of the synthesized CQDs were systematically investigated. And based on fluorescence quenching of CQDs, the as-prepared CQDs were innovatively developed as an effective "signal-off" fluorescent probe for selective and sensitive detection of silver ion (Ag+) with two linear ranges of 0–10 and 10–3000 nM, and a detection limit 1.4 nM. The specificity and selectivity of this fluorescent probe were also verified through challenging the detection by using similarmetallic cations or in real water samples. In addition, the as-prepared CQDs exhibit a low cytotoxicity and a good biocompatibility, revealing its potential bioimaging applications in living cells. Image 1 • CQDs were synthesized via one-step hydrothermal treatment of purple perilla. • Selective and sensitive detection of Ag+ were achieved based on as-prepared CQDs. • The obtained CQDs have low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility. • Fluorescence quenching of CQDs by Ag+ was revealed following a static mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a diethylamino methanone Schiff base (HBAPE) was reported. Its synthesis, quantum chemical calculations, photophysical behaviors containing aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) were systematically studied. More importantly, HBAPE exhibits photochromism in response to UV light via reversible tautomerism, where a remarkable color change in both absorption and emission was observed. Thermal treatment or visible-light exposure would activate the reverse reaction to restore the compound to its pristine state. The color change in the photochromic process is well quantified by RGB and CIE L * a * b * color space, and the latter exhibits high compatibility and accuracy owing to the utilization of the derived color shift (Δ E* Lab). Based on Δ E* Lab analysis, the limits of detection (DL) are calculated to be as low as 6.2 μW/cm2 (by manual color picking) and 2.6 μW/cm2 (by chromatic meter measurement), suggesting high sensitivity towards UV radiation. We further develop a prototype of data-recording film that can write and erase binary data by UV and heating/visible-light, respectively. The data recording film shows high signal contrast by utilizing Δ E* Lab as the output, achieving nice rewritability. A strategy for data encryption-decryption was developed. With an inert compound as the background covering, the information can be concealed via heating or visible-light, and revealed by UV radiation, providing a reliable strategy for information safety. [Display omitted] • Using CIE L * a * b * and color shift to quantify the photochromic change. • A prototype of rewritable data storage using color shift as binary signal. • A bimolecular data-recoding system enabling information encryption-decryption. • Facile synthesis, low-cost fabrication, reusability and μW/cm2 level sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The development of high-performance classifiers represents an important step in improving the timeliness of remote sensing classification in the era of high spatial resolution. The geographically weighted k -nearest neighbors (gw k -NN) classifier, which incorporates spatial information into the traditional k -NN classifier, has demonstrated better performance in mitigating salt-and-pepper noise and misclassification. However, the integration of spatial dependence into spectral information is computationally intensive. To improve the computing performance of the gw k -NN classifier, this study first considered two commonly used parallel strategies—data parallelism and task parallelism—in the model training and image classification stages. Then, our implementation of the corresponding parallel algorithms was carried out by calling message passing interface (MPI) and the geospatial data abstraction library (GDAL) in the C++ development environment on a standalone eight-core computer. Based on the performance of these two strategies, the potentiality of dual parallelism (the simultaneous exploitation of data and task parallelism) in image classification was further investigated. Our experimental results indicate that the parallel gw k -NN classifier can improve the classification efficiency of high-resolution remote sensing images with multiple land cover types. Specifically, the data parallelism method is more effective than the task parallelism method in both the model training and classification stages because of the minor effect of parallel overhead on the total execution time. In addition, dual parallelism can take advantage of data and task parallel strategies, as evidenced by the two largest speedups being attained under dual parallelism I (5.28 ×), which is based on the premise of task parallelism, and dual parallelism II (5.73 ×), in which the priority is given to data decomposition. Comparatively, dual parallelism II provides the best performance by overlapping computation and data transmission, which is compatible with the current trend toward multicore architectures. Highlights • A gw k -NN classifier is parallelized to improve the computing performance. • Data parallelism is more capable than task parallelism for gwk-NN classifier. • Dual parallelism makes better use of computing resources. • The proposed classifier greatly decreases the classification time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Five multimorbidity clusters were identified among middle-aged and older adults in China: minimal disease, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, lung/asthma, and multisystem morbidity. • The multisystem morbidity group had the highest use in outpatient, inpatient and self-treament healthcare, and the highest cost in self-treatment. • The five groups did not show significant differences in outpatient costs. While the lung/asthma and arthritis groups reported lower inpatient costs than other groups. This study investigated multimorbidity patterns among middle-aged and older Chinese people and whether healthcare costs varied among different multimorbidity patterns. Data were from the 2011–2018 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). We included 20,855 unique observations with information coming from their last wave of interviews and aged at least 45 years or older. Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to classify individuals with common multimorbidity clusters based on 14 self-reported chronic diseases. Healthcare costs were from participants' self-reports and categorized into outpatient, inpatient, and self-treatment. Two-part regression was performed to analyze the association of multimorbidity patterns with healthcare costs. Five multimorbidity clusters were identified: minimal disease, arthritis, cardiovascular disease (CVD), lung/asthma, and multisystem morbidity. The multisystem morbidity group had the highest use in all three types of healthcare and the highest self-treatment cost. Compared with the minimal disease group, the other four groups did not show significant differences in outpatient costs. Relative to the minimal disease group, the lung/asthma group reported lower inpatient costs. Healthcare use and costs varied across multimorbidity patterns among middle-aged and older Chinese people. Implementing an integrated care plan for multimorbidity is suggested to improve the cost-effectiveness of healthcare provision and reduce the financial burden of the healthcare system. Reimbursement policy design should also take multimorbidity patterns into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The applications of dielectric capacitors are essential for modern pulsed-power and high-power electronic devices. Antiferroelectric ceramics have garnered much attention as promising materials for capacitive energy storage on account of their ultrahigh recoverable energy density (W rec). However, the relatively high energy loss originating from electric field induced antiferroelectric-ferroelectric (AFE-FE) phase transition results in low energy storage efficiency (η). Herein, the La3+ ions incorporated (Pb 0.98 Sr 0.02)(Zr 0.85 Sn 0.15)O 3 antiferroelectric ceramics were explored to obtain stable antiferroelectric phase and trigger a unique multistage AFE-FE(Ⅰ)-FE(Ⅱ) phase transition simultaneously. Consequently, this strategy led to the achievement of an ultrahigh W rec of 13.9 J/cm3 and an enhanced η of 80.4% in the optimal composition. Notably, these ceramics have also demonstrated exceptional thermal reliability of W rec and η in a wide temperature range, outperforming other previously reported PbZrO 3 -based ceramics. These results offer an efficient approach to promote the capacitive energy storage behavior in antiferroelectric ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, sulfur and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots (S,N-CQDs) as highly selective fluorescent probe for silver ion (Ag + ) and cysteine (Cys) detection were designed and synthesized directly from citric acid and thiamine hydrochloride via a one-step hydrothermal protocol in 63.8% quantum yield. This probe enabled selective detection of Ag + with a linear range of 0–10 and 10–250 μM and a limit of detection of 0.40 μM with respect to the variation in fluorescence induced by target concentration and electron-transfer from S,N-CQDs to Ag + . Furthermore, S,N-CQDs/Ag + fluorescence can be effectively recovered by virtue of a specific reaction of Cys with silver ion. This fluorescence “turn-on” protocol was applied to determine Cys with two linear ranges of 0–10 and 10–120 μM as well as a detection limit of 0.35 μM. The corresponding cell experiments were also performed, indicating that the prepared S,N-CQDs possessed low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility. Ultimately, the practicality and viability of this fluorescent probe were demonstrated through the analysis of silver ion in real river water and human serum samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermogravimetric analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG-FTIR) and on-line FTIR were employed in this study, aiming at investigating the pyrolysis characteristic of Polybenzylic Ether Phenolic resin sand mould (PEP-SET sand) and emission gases generated during casting. The non-isothermal pyrolysis of PEP-SET sand can be subdivided into three stages: emission of inherent moisture (below 215 °C), thermal decomposition at low temperature (215–315 °C) and further cracking process at high temperature (315–432 °C). The main emission gaseous products in pyrolysis processes were H 2 O, CO 2 , NH 3 , CH 4 , C 2 H 6 , NO and a little amount of CO, according to the FTIR spectrum analyses. The amount of N-containing pyrolysis products generated from cracking of the C N bond reflects the collapse extent of the binder. The thermal shock tests at different temperatures were performed. Similar to non-isothermal pyrolysis processes, the main gaseous products were CO 2 , CO, NO, CH 4 and C 2 H 6 under thermal shock conditions, and these gases released follow a fixed sequence: concentrations of CO, CO 2 and NO firstly increased to the peaks and then decreased with the rising of CH 4 and C 2 H 6 . At last the CO 2 concentration increased again. The major emission oxidizing gas which may induce ignition of Mg melt is CO 2 and the environmental hazardous components are NO and NH 3 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel poly(aspartic acid) based PASP-l-PAHy hydrogel possesses the comprehensive merits of injectability, self-biodegradability, shape-adaptability, transparence, biocompatibility, and adhesion is reported. The hydrogel could seamlessly fill and stably adhere to skin incisions, and accelerate wound healing process. [Display omitted] • Designing and developing a novel versatile poly(aspartic acid) hydrogel. • The multiple crosslinks of chemical bonds (amide bond) and physical bonds (ionic bond and hydrogen bond) endows the hydrogel with comprehensive merits. • Desired autolytic biodegradation ensures removal trauma of wound dressing after 10 days. • The poly(aspartic acid) based hydrogel accelerates rat skin full-thickness wound healing. Severely chronic dermal wounds with irregular rupture shapes or even cavities are calling for injectable and self-biodegradable wound dressings for skin lesion with complex contours remain a great challenge. Here, we report an injectable, self-biodegradable poly(aspartic acid)-l-poly(aspartyl hydrazide) (PASP-l-PAHy) hydrogel to address these issues. The starting materials were cheap, and the new strategy for fabrication of self-biodegradable poly(aspartic acid) based hydrogel was facile, efficient, mild and environmentally friendly, which is consistent with the concept of green chemistry. The hydrogel possesses the comprehensive merits of injectability, self-biodegradability, shape-adaptability, transparence, biocompatibility, and adhesion, and shows specific autolytic biodegradation. The hydrogel was generated by in-situ gelation of poly(aspartic acid) (PASP) and poly(aspartyl hydrazide) (PAHy) polymers based on dual chemical (amide bond) and physical (hydrogen bond and ionic bond) crosslinks. The acceleration of wound healing could be observed in a rat skin full-thickness wound model for repairing skin tissue defects via hydrogel injection and autolytic biodegradation, highlighting great potential applications in wound dressing for the irregular dermal lesions without secondary skin damage. The injectable and self-biodegradable hydrogel augments formation of blood vessels and mature granulation tissue, thus enabling faster skin tissue restoration outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To search a novel analgesic characterizes the effects on human sperm motility as minimal as possible. A new class of endomorphin-1 (EM-1) analogues was synthesized by combining successful chemical modifications including N-terminal guanidino modification, Phe 4 was chlorinated, replaced of l -Pro 2 -Trp 3 by d -Ala 2 -Gly 3 or d -Pro 2 -Gly 3 at position 2 and 3. Their bioactivities were measured by radioligand binding assay, metabolic stability, antinociception activity and sperm motility effects. In radioligand binding assays, analogue GAGP shown a μ-opioid receptor affinity about 17.7-fold higher and a 57.3-fold higher δ-opioid receptor affinity than EM-1. In the metabolic stability assays, GAGP had the longest half-lives and 16.6-fold higher than EM-1. In the tail-flick test in mice, GAGP showed the best analgesia. In sperm motility assays, the group of GAGP (10 −5 , 10 −7 mol/L) decreased of the percentage of a + b grade, and no significant when compared with initial value. In GAGP (10 −6 mol/L) group, sperm motility was progressively increased, although it was not statistically significant. But at the groups of morphine (10 −7 mol/L) and GAGD (10 −7 mol/L), these caused significant reduction between 0 and 90 min. We found that analogues GAGP, activating μ-opioid receptor and partial δ-opioid receptor, exhibit good analgesic effects with minimal implications for human sperm motility. It might be important in potential application as drug candidates of analgesic without implications for human sperm motility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new class of endomorphin-1 analogues was synthesized by combining successful chemical modifications including N-terminal guanidino modification, Phe 4 was chlorinated, D-Ala-Gly Substituted L-Pro 2 . Their bioactivities were measured by radioligand binding assay, metabolic stability and the tail-flick test. In radioligand binding assays, analogue GAGPC (N α -Amidino-Tyr-D-Ala-Gly-Trp-p-Cl-Phe-NH 2 ), shown a μ-opioid receptor affinity about 1.42-fold higher and a 2.51-fold higher δ-opioid receptor affinity than EM-1. In the metabolic stability assays, GAGPC had the longest half-lives which was 284 min and 53-fold higher than that of EM-1. In the tail-flick test in mice, GAGPC chloride modification increases the lipid content of the drug, thus increases the permeability of the blood brain barrier, and has a higher analgesic activity. It might be of importance in potential application as drug candidates as analgesic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time in-situ visualization and sensitive detection of thimbleful tumor-related microRNAs (miRNAs) in living cells is still unmet. Especially, poor amplification efficiency and resistance against complex intracellular environment hinder amplifiers' widespread applications in vivo. Herein, we report enzyme-free self-propelled quantum dots-based spherical nucleic acids (QDs-based SNAs, also named TSD-QDs) as a ratiometric amplifier for stable, efficient, and sensitive detection and imaging of miRNAs in biological samples and living cells. The ratiometric amplifier is proved possesses outstanding stability in human serum and cells, as well as prominent recognition capability for miRNAs. More importantly, the ingeniously designed tail sequence of fuel strand (FS) could lead to high operating efficiency and excellent detection performance of TSD-QDs for non-enzyme detection in vitro (in the range of 10 fM-150 nM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 5.8 fM). Furthermore, the spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) structure can endow TSD-QDs with favorable photostability and high resistance against to the nuclease, thus benefit its applications in intracellular miRNA-21 monitoring via fluorescence imaging. With these advantages, the proposed TSD-QDs based amplifier enables accurate and effective monitoring of the miRNAs expression levels in living cells (A549, normal QSG-7701, Hela and MCF-7 cells), and poses great potential in medical diagnostics and biomedical applications. [Display omitted] • Self-propelled quantum dots-based spherical nucleic acids (TSD-QDs) were constructed. • TSD-QDs as ratiometric amplifier enabled sensitive detection of intracellular miRNAs. • The ratiometric amplifier possessed outstanding photostability and biostability. • Tactfully designed tail sequence of FS accelerated operating efficiency of TSD-QDs. • High selectivity and sensitivity with a low LOD 5.8 fM were favorably obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe-Cr-Al containing alloys with high resistance to lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) is considered as one of the candidate materials for the protective coating. But it remains challenge in improving the mechanical properties and resistance to cavitation erosion under the environment of flowing LBE. In this study, Fe-Cr-Al-Ti-C coatings were synthesized with different Y 2 O 3 additions by laser cladding, aiming at improving toughness and cavitation erosion resistance. The results showed that the Fe-Cr-Al-Ti-C coating mainly contained Fe 2 AlCr and TiC phases, and the addition of Y 2 O 3 led to the formation of Y 2 TiO 5 and Y 2 Ti 2 O 7 , modifying the distribution of TiC. Y 2 Ti 2 O 7 and Y 2 TiO 5 played a toughening role by purifying impurity oxygen at the grain boundary (GB), and various secondary phases are coordinated. When the addition of Y 2 O 3 is 0.2 wt.%, the cladding coating was well formed, and showing the highest hardness and adhesive strength, which directly affected the resistance to LBE cavitation erosion. When the addition of Y 2 O 3 was more than or equal to 0.8 wt.%, severe segregation of TiC appeared at the GBs, resulting in the decrease of mechanical properties. At 500°C LBE cavitation erosion test, the main damage mechanism of the coating was lamellar spalling. Cracks would initial at the surface under the impact of cavitation erosion and expand into the materials. The addition of Y 2 O 3 reduced the size of crack and improved the LBE cavitation erosion resistance of the cladding coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Si was successfully doped in the metastable OCP crystals by a precipitation method. • Si doping led to the contraction of OCP structure with smaller lattice parameters. • Si doping preferred forming a cluster-like hierarchical structure of OCP crystals. • Si-OCP notably promoted the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. • Si-OCPs enhanced the responses of BMSCs by ionic release and mineral deposits. Silicon was successfully doped into an intermediate precursor of biological apatite, octacalcium phosphate (OCP), accompanied with a lattice contraction. Si-doped OCP significantly enhanced the proliferation and osteogenic capacities of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by the synergistical effect of bioactive ions release and mineral deposits, providing a potential bone substitute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Y 2 O 3 addition causes the evolution of microstructure and distribution of TiC. • Y 2 O 3 addition increases hardness and adhesive strength of the coating. • Adding Y 2 O 3 inhibits the crack of coating in the LBE cavitation erosion condition. This work proves that Y 2 O 3 addition could significantly improve the mechanical properties of laser cladded FeCrAlTiC coatings. Due to the formation of Y 2 TiO 5 and Y 2 Ti 2 O 7 after adding Y 2 O 3 , the TiC particles in coating were refined and their morphologies changed from short bar to sphere. Comparing with the coatings without Y 2 O 3 , the microhardness of the coating increased by 9.88 %, and the adhesive strength of the coating increased by 53.7 %. Moreover, the coating adding Y 2 O 3 showed much better cavitation erosion resistance in high temperature liquid Pb-Bi alloys than the coatings without Y 2 O 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A quantitative method for analyzing photochromism was described. • A photo-responsive film serving as a sensitive UV sensor was demonstrated. • A facile low-cost photo-patterning technique was developed. Photochromic materials are widely applied in many fields, but their applications are partly limited by the complexity in both synthesis and device-fabrication, as well as the difficulty in quantitative analysis. We developed a photochromic compound (DHAIA) capable of changing color and fluorescence upon UV radiation. The change can be quantitatively analyzed via CIELAB color space, further yielding color shift (Δ E Lab) values that can be either recognized by instruments or detected by naked eyes. The compound can be fabricated into a photo-responsive film to serve as a sensitive UV sensor, allowing a low detection limit down to 20 μW/cm2 (UV radiation intensity). In addition, a photo-patterning technique was demonstrated, wherein patterns can be printed using either UV light or sunlight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective permeability of a laminated structure is an important parameter related to the practical necessity of coarsening of grid blocks in large scale reservoir simulations. Traditional effective permeability derived under steady state flow conditions can cause great errors in the transient flow process due to the great heterogeneity and anisotropy of laminated formations. To handle this error, the unsteady oil flow in the matrix between hydraulic fractures of a laminated system during an oil depletion process is analyzed in this study. Based on material balance, we present an analytical method for calculating the dynamic effective permeability of the laminated structure considering the cross flow between laminae in the transient flow process. The proposed dynamic effective permeability can be used to conduct coarsening of grid blocks and can be incorporated into numerical models for accurate modeling of transient flow in a laminated structure in the reservoir simulation. It is shown that the simulation results using the proposed effective permeability model match well with those from two-dimensional (2D) simulations. Further, the effects of the horizontal permeability, vertical permeability, thickness of the laminae, and the length of the matrix between fractures are studied. • Analytical solutions of pressure distributions for flow in a laminated system are derived. • Dynamic effective permeability of a laminated structure with cross flow in the transient flow process is proposed. • Effects of horizontal and vertical permeability, thickness of laminae, and length of matrix are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shale oil formations are highly heterogeneous laminated systems containing organic matter (OM). In this study, oil/water flow in laminated shale oil formations are investigated from the pore-scale perspective using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The effects of the pore size and wettability heterogeneities including different pore sizes, contents of OM, wettabilities of OM, and OM distributions on oil/water flow are analyzed. The relative permeability curves of water and oil are calculated and then substituted into the model of numerical simulations to analyze the variations of oil production for each case. Results showed that the relative permeabilities of the mudstone and sandstone laminae are different, and that using the average relative permeabilities of the two laminae can lead to significant errors in the calculation of oil production. With the content and the hydrophobicity of OM increasing and with OM locating in the middle of the mudstone, more oil occupies the pore space around OM and thereby increases the relative permeability of oil (k ro) in the mudstone, but conversely decreases k ro in the sandstone, which in turn affects the proportions of oil production through the mudstone and sandstone. • Oil/water flow in laminated shale oil formations are simulated. • Relative permeability curves in the shale oil formations are calculated. • Effects of pore-size and wettability heterogeneities on shale oil production are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study was aimed at developing a simple HPLC method for the detection of daidzein in rat plasma. Daidzein was extracted from rat plasma with ethylparaben as internal standards (IS). Chromatographic separation of daidzein and IS was achieved by a Dikma Dimonsil C18 column (200mm×4.6mm) with the mobile phase consisting of methanol–water (55:45, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0mL/min. The injection volume was 20μL and the detecting wavelength was 249nm. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range from 0.05 to 5μg/mL, and the accuracy was within a range of 93.4–126.2%. This HPLC method was applied successfully to the pharmacokinetic study of two kinds of daidzein-loaded poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (D-NPs) and daidzein suspension after intravenous injection in rats. Significant differences in main pharmacokinetic parameters of daidzein suspension and D-NPs were observed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• CO 2 -kerogen interaction dominated counter-current diffusion is investigated. • Molecular models of hydrocarbons extraction from kerogen using CO 2 are constructed. • Effects of pressure, temperature, hydrocarbon, and type of kerogen are analyzed. The affinity of CO 2 to kerogen represents an opportunity to increase shale oil/gas recovery using CO 2 , and as well represents great potential for CO 2 sequestration in shale formations. In this study, the CO 2 -kerogen interaction dominated counter-current diffusion was investigated using molecular dynamics simulation. Molecular models of ad-/absorbed hydrocarbons extraction from kerogen using CO 2 were constructed, and the CO 2 -hydrocarbon counter-current displacement processes were simulated. Results showed that the stronger interaction between kerogen and CO 2 than that between kerogen and hydrocarbons results in a spontaneous counter-current diffusion process. That is, the ad-/absorbed hydrocarbons in kerogen can effectively be extracted out and CO 2 can flow into and be stored in kerogen simultaneously. Effects of pressure, temperature, hydrocarbon, and the type of kerogen on the efficiency of hydrocarbon extraction, and CO 2 storage capacity were analyzed. Further, in field applications, methods of evaluating the enhanced hydrocarbon recovery and the CO 2 storage capacity of shale formations were proposed. Results obtained from this study provide guidance for enhancing shale oil/gas recovery using CO 2 and for CO 2 sequestration in shale formations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Different proportions of MoS 2 /MnO 2 adsorbents were synthesized. • Mm-30 adsorbents show great removal efficiency for mercury. • Mm-30 have a higher specific surface area than pure MoS 2. • The adsorption of Hg on Mm-30 follows the M−K mechanism. • Mm-30 adsorbent has good resistance to SO 2 under the condition of 400 ppm S+ N 2. In this work, MoS 2 /MnO 2 synthesized by hydrothermal methods was employed to remove Hg0 in flue gas. Benefited from the growth of MnO 2 on the surface of MoS 2 , the specific surface area of the Mm adsorbent has increased. Compared with pure MoS 2 , specific surface area of Mm-30 has increased by 26.0287 m2/g. The MoS 2 modified with 30 w.t. % MnO 2 revealed higher mercury removal performance at 120 °C, which reached 93%. The oxidation of mercury over Mm-30 is proposed to follow Mars-van Krevelen mechanism, whereby the lattice oxygen in the adsorbent is consumed. In presence of NO, HCl, O 2 and SO 2 , the effect of different concentrations on mercury oxidation is observed. Mm-30 adsorbent reveals stable mercury removal performance in the presence of NO and HCl, while it also exhibited good sulfur resistance under the condition of 400 ppm SO 2 + N 2. This phenomenon indicates that the adsorbent can be applied in power plants with medium concentrations of SO 2 , which facilitated the application of Mm-30 as a potential mercury removal adsorbent for power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Main carbon, nitrogen and sulfur-precursors are indicated by XPS method. • The same precursors result in close temperatures at which characteristic pollutants occurred. • A full view of transformation mechanism of FCC pollutant emission is presented. Fluid catalytic cracking processes generate various gas pollutants, which are the major concern for environmental protection in refineries. However, the transformation mechanism from deposits to gas pollutants is not well understood. In this work, spent catalysts from different typical FCC units were analyzed to evaluate the effect of pollutant precursors on pollutant emission. The main carbon, nitrogen and sulfur precursors of FCC pollutant emission were identified. Regeneration experiments were conducted to assess the relationship between regeneration temperature and pollutant emission under partial combustion conditions. Results showed that the same precursors from different catalysts result in close temperatures at which characteristic pollutants occurred. VOCs are firstly generated by the coke branches cracking under low temperature. Then, nitrogen-containing compounds convert to NH 3 and HCN, and some of them are oxidized into NO x. After that, sulfur-containing compounds convert to C-S group and H-S group, which finally convert to SO 2 at high temperature. At last, a full view of transformation mechanism of FCC pollutant emission is presented, which will give a further insight into the prediction and control of pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in thrombotic diseases has been extensively studied. The exact mechanism of NET formation in deep venous thrombosis (DVT) has not been largely studied. This study is aimed to explore the role of NETs and their interaction with platelet factor 4 (PF4) in DVT. In plasma samples from 51 healthy volunteers and 52 DVT patients, NET markers and PF4 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). NET generation in blood samples from healthy subjects and DVT patients was analyzed by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. The plasma levels of NETs were significantly elevated in DVT patients, and neutrophils from patients showed a stronger ability to generate NETs after treatment. PF4 was upregulated in plasma samples from DVT patients and mediated NET formation. NETs enhanced procoagulant (PCA) via tissue factor and activating platelets to induce procoagulant activity. In addition, we established an inferior vena cava ligation (IVC) model to examine the role of NETs in thrombogenicity in DVT. In conclusion, NET formation was mediated by PF4 and enhance the procoagulant activity in DVT. • NETs are abundant in plasma and thrombi from DVT patients. • PF4 mediates NET formation through autophagy in DVT. • NETs contribute to PCA through tissue factor and activated platelets. • PF4 promotes thrombosis in the IVC model by regulating NET formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• B,N-CQDs as versatile fluorescence probes were synthesized via hydrothermal method. • The probes can simultaneously detect Co2+ in environmental water, urine and cells. • Highly sensitive and wide detection range (LOD: 0.52 nM, two linear ranges: 0.5–10 and 10–2000 nM). • The probes possess favorable biocompatibility and can be applied for bioimaging. • B,N-CQDs are used for the detection of Co2+ in human urine for the first time. Fabrication of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) as versatile fluorescence probes for simultaneous detection of cobalt ion (Co2+) in various samples is still unmet. Herein, novel boron, nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (B,N-CQDs) were facile synthesized via one-step hydrothermal method, in which 3-carboxyphenylboronic acid and ethylenediamine were selected as precursors. Owing to the unique properties of the precursors, the obtained B,N-CQDs exhibited excellent recognition capability of Co2+, favorable biocompatibility, and high fluorescence quantum yield (FLQY, 64.8%), which enabled the B,N-CQDs as versatile fluorescence probes for sensitive detection of Co2+. The response of the probes to Co2+ was linear in two ranges of 0.5–10 and 10–2000 nM with limit of detection (LOD) of 0.52 nM. Feasibility of practical application of the probes was assessed by quantitative detection of trace Co2+ in real water samples including sewage water, river water and tap water. Furthermore, Co2+ in human urine was detected by using the probes with recoveries between 96% and 104%, indicating that the established probes could meet the requirements of practical detection in urine samples. Besides, the probes were successfully applied to monitoring Co2+ in A549 cells via fluorescence imaging attributed to their excellent photostability and high signal-to-background ratio. All these results show that the designed B,N-CQDs are ideal probes for simultaneously detecting Co2+ in environmental water and biological samples, which would expand the practical application of CQDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Newly designed two-core series tests are conducted, and a new shale oil flow behavior is observed. • A threshold stress change is defined for the mobilization of the oil in organic matter (OM). • Mobilization of the oil in OM is the result of the compression of surrounding inorganic matrix. • Effects of permeability, Young's modulus, pressure drop, and matrix size on oil flow in OM are investigated. Oil in shale formation includes free oil in inorganic pores and ad-/absorbed oil within organic matter (OM). The latter is immobile without exerting extra forces due to the strong molecular interactions between oil and OM. In this study, we conducted newly designed two-core series oil flow experiments with shale and sandstone samples to reveal the mechanisms of mobilizing the oil in OM, and a new phenomenon in shale samples was observed. Analysis using the theory of shale compaction showed that the OM and oil within it are compressed by the inorganic matrix in the depletion process, raising the effective stress of OM and its pore pressure. When the effective stress of OM attains a threshold value, the oil in OM is squeezed out into the surrounding inorganic matrix. For the first time, a threshold stress change of OM is defined, and a model is proposed for describing the mechanisms of mobilizing the oil in OM validated by the experimental results. The values of threshold tress change τ increases from 0.14 MPa to 0.48 MPa with the saturation pressure increasing from 0.51 MPa to 1.47 MPa. Field scale modeling shows that the mobilization of oil in OM is greatly affected by the permeability of OM and inorganic matrix, the stiffness of inorganic matrix, pressure drawdown, and the matrix size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Different proportions of MoS 2 /Fe 3 O 4 adsorbents were synthesized. • MoS 2 /Fe 3 O 4 adsorbents show great removal efficiency for mercury. • MF-10 have a higher specific surface area than pure MoS 2. • High specific surface area and lattice oxygen play an important role in mercury removal. • MF-10 has good magnetic and recycling ability. At the front end of the Electrostatic precipitator (ESP), activated carbon injection is a common method to remove mercury from flue gas, but the high cost, low efficiency and non-recyclability limit the practical application of activated carbon. MoS 2 , a transition metal sulfide with a two-dimensional layered structure, was found to have favourable performances in removing contaminant. In this work, Fe 3 O 4 was successfully grown on the surface of flower-like MoS 2 by two-steps hydrothermal methods. The experimental results showed that the specific surface area of MoS 2 /Fe 3 O 4 (MF) was the largest when the ratio is 10 wt% (MF-10). Compared with pure MoS 2 , the specific surface area of MF-10 increased by 6.7467 m2/g, which was attributed to the growth of Fe 3 O 4. At the same time, the introduction of Fe 3 O 4 made the MF possess superparamagnetism to facilitate its retrievability under an external magnetic field. In addition, MF-10 also showed a mercury removal efficiency of almost 100%. Although the efficiency of the MF-10 has decreased after 5 cycles and 24 h, it could still maintain about 90%, revealing a stable cycle life. Due to its mercury removal performance and recyclability, MF can be considered as a favorable adsorbent for removing elemental mercury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A stochastic distribution system planning with energy storage degradation is solved. • Energy arbitrage and regulation services are co-optimized for siting and sizing. • A Gaussian mixture model is adopted to generate stochastic scenarios. • A modified progressive hedging algorithm which outperforms Gurobi is introduced. With the trend of energy storage participating in ancillary service markets, it is still computationally burdensome to incorporate the rapidly changing real-time signals in the long-run distribution system planning. In this paper, a two-stage stochastic programming is proposed for the distribution system with energy storage, where the storage degradation and ancillary service revenue for frequency regulation are both considered. For this purpose, the problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming optimizing the overall planning cost, including investment and maintenance cost, power transaction cost and revenue from regulation services. A degradation penalty is added in the objective to avoid excessive charge/discharge when providing regulation services, thus further benefiting the economy of the distribution system. The model also considers uncertainties of load demand and electricity prices. A Gaussian mixture model is adopted to characterize these uncertainties and a set of representative scenarios are sampled. To accelerate the optimization, a modified progressive hedging with parallel computing is proposed. It is demonstrated through a 33-bus distribution system that the proposed algorithm has a speed approximately 15 times as fast as the state-of-art commercial software Gurobi when solving the model in 100 scenarios. For this case study, considering degradation penalty has been shown to extend energy storage lifespan by one year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Butylparaben, a common preservative, is widely used in food, pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Epidemiological studies have revealed the close relationship between butylparaben and diabetes; however the mechanisms of action remain unclear. In this study, we administered butylparaben orally to mice and observed that exposure to butylparaben induced glucose intolerance and hyperlipidemia. RNA sequencing results demonstrated that the enrichment of differentially expressed genes was associated with lipid metabolism, bile acid metabolism, and inflammatory response. Western blot results further validated that butylparaben promoted hepatic lipogenesis, inflammation, gluconeogenesis, and insulin resistance through the inhibition of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) pathway. The FXR agonists alleviated the butylparaben-induced metabolic disorders. Moreover, 16 S rRNA sequencing showed that butylparaben reduced the abundance of Bacteroidetes , S24–7, Lactobacillus, and Streptococcus , and elevated the Firmicutes / Bacteroidetes ratio. The gut microbiota dysbiosis caused by butylparaben led to decreased bile acids (BAs) production and increased inflammatory response, which further induced hepatic glycolipid metabolic disorders. Our results also demonstrated that probiotics attenuated butylparaben-induced disturbances of the gut microbiota and hepatic metabolism. Taken collectively, the findings reveal that butylparaben induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and decreased BAs production, which further inhibited FXR signaling, ultimately contributing to glycolipid metabolic disorders in the liver. [Display omitted] • Butylparaben induces glycolipid metabolic disorder and gut microbiota dysbiosis. • Butylparaben disturbs metabolic homeostasis via gut microbiota and FXR pathway. • FXR agonists and probiotics can ameliorate the disturbances caused by butylparaben. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a severe respiratory complication in preterm infants. This study reveals the molecular mechanism of autophagic agonists regulating the Nrf2-ARE pathway via p62 to improve alveolar development in BPD rats. Newborn Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly exposed to a hyperoxic environment (FiO 2 = 0.85) for 14 days and rapamycin (RAPA) was intraperitoneally injected on alternate days into hyperoxia-exposed mice. Alveolar development was assessed using HE and RAC values. Markers associated with the p62-Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway were detected by western blot, immunohistochemistry, and RT-PCR. Co-localization of proteins was determined using double immunofluorescence staining. At the levels of lung tissue and primary type II alveolar epithelial cells, the enhanced binding between phosphorylated p62 and Keap1 disrupted the nuclear transport of Nrf2. The activated Nrf2 was insufficient to reverse alveolar simplification. The autophagy agonist was able to inhibit p62 phosphorylation, promote Keap1 degradation, increase Nrf2 nuclear transport, augment downstream antioxidant enzyme expression, and enhance antioxidant capacity, thereby improving the simplification of alveolar structure in BPD rats. The use of autophagy agonists to enhance the Nrf2-ARE pathway activity and promote alveolar development could be a novel target in antioxidant therapy for BPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Different proportions of M n / γ - F e 3 O 4 adsorbents were synthesized. • M n / γ - F e 3 O 4 adsorbents have good adsorption and oxidation capacity for mercury. • High valence Mn and Fe play an important role in the oxidation of mercury. • External magnetic field can effectively improve the mercury removal effect of M n / γ - F e 3 O 4 adsorbents. • The kinetic analysis is consistent with the experimental results. In this paper, we used coprecipitation method to prepare different ratios of Mn / γ - Fe 3 O 4 to remove Hg0. Different ratios of Mn and Fe could affect the mercury removal efficiency of M n / γ - F e 3 O 4. The mechanism of Hg0 adsorption on the surface of M n / γ - F e 3 O 4 matches the Mars-van Krevelen reaction mechanism. The catalytic oxidation of mercury on the surface of the sample is related to Fe and Mn. We also performed a pseudo-first-order kinetic model and an improved pseudo-n-order kinetic model. In addition, the external magnetic field has a certain promoting effect on the mercury removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• HCN emissions in a typical FCC unit were much higher than expected. • O 2 content in regenerator affects the emission of nitrogen-containing gas greatly. • Low O 2 content could decrease HCN emission under partial combustion. Stringent environmental regulations have made HCN emission from fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit attracted more attention. HCN is always considered as a volatile intermediate, which is transformed into NO x after oxidation. However, the on-site monitoring data from a typical FCC unit in this work showed that HCN emissions were much higher than expected. The spent FCC catalysts were analyzed by different methods to identify HCN precursors, and found that pyridinic nitrogen (N-6), pyrrolic nitrogen (N-5), and quaternary nitrogen (N-Q) are the main precursors of HCN. In the regeneration process, most of pyridinic nitrogen was transformed into NH 3 and HCN, while the rest were partially oxidized to N-5, and the degree of oxidization conversion is related to regeneration temperature and oxygen concentration. A series of experiments were conducted on a fixed-bed regenerator to evaluate the effects of different regeneration conditions on the nitrogen-containing gas emission. Experiment results demonstrated that low oxygen concentration is beneficial to the reduction of HCN emission during the partial combustion regeneration stage. Under complete combustion condition, with excess oxygen content, the contents of NO, HCN and NO 2 are much higher than these under partial combustion conditions, indicating that the oxygen content affects the emission of nitrogen-containing gas significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• LB children were more vulnerable to psychological problems and more attention should be paid to how psychological trait resilience interplays with protective support for LB children and affects their psychological status. • LB children with higher level of trait resilience would perceive themselves as more confident and valuable, therefore, their self-esteem would be higher. • LB children with higher level of protective support would feel warmth and goodwill from the surroundings, and pay more attention to positive aspects of life and had lower depression. The left-behind children phenomenon appeared in the process of development of industrialization and urbanization in China has become a social problem that needs close attention. Meanwhile, the importance of resilience on the psychological health of left-behind children has been highlighted in academic field. This study examined the mediating effect of psychological trait resilience on the relationship between protective factors from social network and self-esteem/depression of the left-behind children in China. A total of 345 left-behind children at middle schools completed the questionnaire of Healthy Kids Resilience Assessment (HKRA), Self-Esteem Scale (SES) and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Path analysis showed that psychological trait resilience played a fully mediating role on the relationship between protective factors and self-esteem, as well on the association between the relationship between protective factors and depression. Building protective social network may be helpful to improve trait resilience of left-behind children, which further increase self-esteem and mitigate depression of them. The implications of these findings on social work practice were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Average photon energy (Eave) depicts energy changes of UV–vis spectra in aggregation. • Eave declines in the aggregation process and can be fitted by exponential models. • Maximum aggregation absorbance (ABSmagg) can be fitted by exponential models. • Relationship between Eave and ABSmagg can be fitted by Gaussian models. • Eave can predict the aggregate amount without knowing aggregation time of spectra. We have defined average photon energy (Eave) to describe energy changes in UV–vis absorbance spectra during the aggregation of conjugated polymer solutions quantitatively. During the aggregation process of P3HS (poly(3-hexylselenophene)), Eave always decreases and maximum aggregation absorbance (ABSmagg) always increases, and relationships between (Eave and ABSmagg) and time are single exponential models. The relationship between ABSmagg and Eave of P3HS is a single Gaussian model, so Eave can be used to predict the amount of aggregate. Eave and ABSmagg of P3HT (Poly(3-hexylthiophene)) follow similar rules of P3HS. This work describes energy changes and predicts the amount of aggregate in UV–vis spectra during the aggregation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violet phosphorus (VP) has emerged as the most stable and biocompatible allotrope of phosphorus. Our study first reported the synergistic anti-cancer effects by combination treatment of violet phosphorene nanosheets (VPNS) and cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) in vitro and in vivo. VPNS-1 exhibited remarkable efficacy in inhibiting tumor growth by suppressing arachidonic acid metabolism, while CAP induced cancer cell apoptosis through the increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, the key role played by AKT and anti-apoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1) in the induction of apoptosis in VPNS-CAP treatment was demonstrated. Our combination therapy just like "tai chi", controlling cancer cell growth and death with low or no side effect. [Display omitted] • VPNS-1 and CAP have synergistic anti-cancer effects by in vitro and in vivo. • VPNS-1 inhibit tumor growth by suppressing arachidonic acid metabolism in vivo. • AKT, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Mcl-1inhibition by co-treatment to induce cell apoptosis. • VPNS-1 and CAP treatment show low or no side effects in vivo. Violet phosphorene nanosheets (VPNS), another type of two-dimensional nonmetal nanostructure, is a promising nanomaterial for biomedical applications. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is an emerging anti-cancer strategy. Here, for the first time, a synergistic combination of VPNS and CAP exhibited remarkable efficacy in cancer treatment. Our findings revealed that VPNS and CAP effectively suppress cancer cell viability by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing cell apoptosis in vitro. Moreover, we demonstrated the synergistic anti-cancer effect of VPNS and CAP in vivo , with low or no side effects. By metabolism analysis in vivo , we first reported that VPNS-1 inhibited tumor growth by down-regulating Delta-12-Prostaglandin J2, 8,9-DiHETrE, and Hepoxilin B, thereby suppressing arachidonic acid metabolism. Additionally, the down-regulation of AKT and anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Mcl-1) of Bcl-2 family contributed to the inhibition of cell growth and the initiation of cell apoptosis. Our results unveiled a novel and promising anti-cancer approach involving the combined treatment of VPNS and CAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, phosphorus, nitrogen co-doped carbon quantum dots (P,N-CQDs) as highly selective fluorescent probe for cobalt ion (Co 2+ ) detection were designed and synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal protocol by employing pyridoxal 5-phosphate and ethanediamine. This probe enables selective detection of Co 2+ with a linear range of 0–60 μM and a limit of detection of 0.053 μM through variation in fluorescence with respect to target concentration and electron-transfer from P,N-CQDs to Co 2+ . Furthermore, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-modified Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 (Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -EDTA) was tailor-designed and prepared to successfully realize the recovery of P,N-CQDs/Co 2+ fluorescence for the first time. The reusable P,N-CQDs as fluorescent sensors for Co 2+ also show good linearity and sensitivity. Ultimately, this fluorescent probe was applied in the analysis of real river water samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]